Conventionally, a working apparatus for performing work on a printed board includes a conveyor for transporting the printed board. A printed board to be loaded into this working apparatus is placed on a loading conveyor by an apparatus in a preceding step, and transferred from the downstream end of this loading conveyor to a conveyor in the working apparatus. The printed board having undergone work by the working apparatus is transported to the downstream side in the transport direction by the conveyor in the working apparatus, and transferred from the downstream end of this conveyor to an unloading conveyor. An example of the conventional printed board transport apparatus configured as described above is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-184648.
The printed board transport apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-184648 is installed in a surface mounter. This transport apparatus includes a movable conveyor which moves in a printed board transport direction in the surface mounter. A printed board to be loaded into this surface mounter is transferred from a loading conveyor on the upstream side to the movable conveyor having moved to the upstream side in the transport direction. After the whole printed board has been transferred onto the movable conveyor, the movable conveyor moves to the downstream side in the transport direction, and stops in a working position.
The printed board on which an electronic part is mounted is transferred to an unloading conveyor from the movable conveyor having moved to the downstream side in the transport direction. After the whole printed board has been transferred to the unloading conveyor, the movable conveyor moves to the upstream side in the transport direction.
The printed board transport apparatus including the movable conveyor is installed not only in the surface mounter as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-184648, but also in a screen printer which coats a printed board with solder paste.
When sequentially performing work on a plurality of printed boards in the conventional surface mounter or screen printer, it is required to further shorten the takt time from loading of one printed board to loading of a next printed board.